El Torito's Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas

Hello All ~

My first time posting here.  I was originally doing research on a Pressure Fryer and ended up in the roadfood.com forum which is incredible.  I had two cooking questions as yet unanswered, so I signed up and decided to ask here.

I know that El Torito is a chain restaurant (all CA, and one OR), but I just love their Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas.  I was wondering if anyone has their recipe.  It doesn't seem to have any green sauce in it, but it is delicious.  Any takers?

Thanks much,
Paula Jo

CDkitchen has a copycat recipe. Not sure how close it comes as I have never had the real thing.
Joe

No one here makes chicken enchiladas? I have a friend who makes some killer ones. One trick is that she heats the flout tortillas in chicken broth. Then she rolls up the chicken in the tortillas, adds the sauce, and bakes the whole thing. It's the sauce recipe I forgot. She uses a fresh de boned chicken. And there are nacho sliced pickled jalapenos scattered on top.

Your favorite chicken sour cream sauce recipe anyone?
Joe

PaulaJo


Hello All ~

My first time posting here.  I was originally doing research on a Pressure Fryer and ended up in the roadfood.com forum which is incredible.  I
Thanks much,
Paula Jo

Paula .....so what did you find out about Pressure Fryers  other then they are very very dangerous to use and best left for KFC

I have recently revisited my old pressure cooker and started to use it again and now wondering why I ever put it away.

Welcome to Roadfood. I know it's your first post, but I suggest you learn how to use the Search Function on here. There's a ton of stuff in here. There's a thread for "Chicken Enchiladas". Hope this helps you get started;
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?m=101396&high=Chicken+Enchilada

This is the recipe PapaJoe8 was referring to:

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/514/El_Torito_Chicken_Enchiladas31441.shtml

Thanks 6star! Yep, that was it. That sauce is just green enchilada sauce and sour cream. A good salsa verde would work also.

Some good sounding stuff on that old RF thread. Not much in the way of a sour cream chicken enchilada sauce there though.

I would still love to hear some of yalls other variations of "sour cream chicken enchilada sauce".

I am trying to contact my friend, mentioned earlier, for her sauce recipe. Her son is a chef and I might get some of his recipes also.
Joe

Inasmuch as PaulaJo notes that  her El Torito dish has no green sauce while the knock off recipe that PapaJoe8 found calls for a can of green sauce  I would like to know more about the original dish.
 
The subject of green chili sauce raises another question for me though.  I live too far east to get much in the way of fresh green chili from NM or a frozen product.  It is prohibitive to buy a lot of those little cans of diced green chili as an alternate.
 
What do others do who want to make a green chili sauce if no fresh or frozen peppers are available?
 
 

They sell frozen green, and red, chiles here in Texas OKC. Hatch brand I think? They come in a little plastic tub. They are good I think. But... I use those little diced green chile cans all the time. That is probably not OK for anyone who lives in NM but maybe OK for anyone else? And canned green enchilada sauce works good for some things.
Joe

And oh... right about Paula's quest not having any green sauce. And the copycat CD recipe does.

PapaJoe8


No one here makes chicken enchiladas?

I do, but I don't ruin them by making them with sour cream.

PaulaJo said the recipe did not appear to have green sauce. If the link provided by 6Star purports to be *THE*  El Toritos recipe, perhaps upon following the recipe the results will be the same. It could be that the final product just doesn't have obvious green sauce in it.

Now, on to  OKC's question about green sauce ~~ I would hope that there would be canned/bottled green sauces available in your area if fresh &/or frozen are not. There is a canned Hatch brand green enchilda sauce, and Mrs. Renfro's, as well as many others, I'm sure, offer green chile sauces. The frozen option mentioned by PJ8 is Bueno brand, which is excellent, and their website does offer (2nd party) shipping which is probably more cost prohibitive than the little cans you mentioned (IF by "prohibitive" you mean "cost prohibitive")  but is far superior. If you wanted to make your own green chile, I would suggest fresh Anaheim or Poblano peppers combined with fresh jalapenos. Anaheim & Poblano peppers pale (heat wise) in comparison to NM Hatch chiles, but jalaps will give them the kick they need. You can roast them together in the oven or blister them on a gas stove or outdoor grill. Then put them in a plastic baggie/paper bag to steam & cool off for a while, pull the blistered skins off, chop & cook away!
 
Finally... ec... just how does making chicken enchiladas with sour cream ruin them? It is a classic and traditional combination! Or do you use Mexican crema instead? Of course it is not as tart as straight sour cream and is more "authentic", but sour cream is still a worthy alternative. Please share your recipe with us!

CiaoMeowwwOW!

Three or two things here...
 
For what it is worth, the very first time I had an enchilada with sour cream was in Mexico literally fifty years ago or more.  They were called "Swiss" which I suspect was noted "Suisse" on the menu.
 
I have a son in Colorada who is a big green chili enthuisiast (he and his wife used to live in NM) and he has mentioned the frozen brand of Hatch peppers and further, that they are sold by a chain that is part of the Kroger group.  So far I have not seen the same thing near me and I stop in grocers in areas that are heavily Hispanic out of curiosity fairly often.
 
I've also heard of big cans of diced green chili but never seen one. 
 
Thanks to all for the comments.
 
 

Wow Ciao, looks like you know your chiles... and cooking! Right you are Bueno brand! Nothing on your profile but are you a pro of some kind?

As long as I can remember Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas have bean a Tex Mex staple. Each restaurant seams to have their own sauce recipe, some better than others. Most sauces here in Texas do not have a green color to them.

OKC, LaCostina makes some good green sauces that come in a larger size jar... much less expensive than the tiny cans of green chiles or salsa verde. And, I use green enchilada sauce for some things. And the small cans of salsa verde. I have also not seen the larger cans of chopped green chiles.
Joe

Wow Ciao, looks like you know your chiles... and cooking! Right you are Bueno brand! Nothing on your profile but are you a pro of some kind?

As long as I can remember Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas have bean a Tex Mex staple. Each restaurant seams to have their own sauce recipe, some better than others. Most sauces here in Texas do not have a green color to them.

OKC, LaCostina makes some good green sauces that come in a larger size jar... much less expensive than the tiny cans of green chiles or salsa verde. And, I use green enchilada sauce for some things. And the small cans of salsa verde. I have also not seen the larger cans of chopped green chiles.
Joe

SHE,BlackQueen



Finally... ec... just how does making chicken enchiladas with sour cream ruin them?

Because I despise sour cream on anything. Or near anything. I don't even want to be in the same room with it.

Born in OKC



 
For what it is worth, the very first time I had an enchilada with sour cream was in Mexico literally fifty years ago or more.  They were called "Swiss" which I suspect was noted "Suisse" on the menu.
 

I'll bet you a chile relleno the menu referred to them as "Enchiladas Suizas".

Here in Texas they are just called "sour cream chicken enchiladas". I always thought they were mostly a Tex Mex thing. I wonder how long the founders of Tex Mex, El Fenix, have been serving chicken enchiladas?

Capt, sorry to hear about your sour cream affliction.
Joe

enginecapt - Likely you are correct so far as the spelling is concerned.  I'll claim another senior moment.
 
PapaJoe8 - My lapse above makes me ask for confirmation about this and SHEBlack,Queen might be able to answer also although I have never heard her mention how long she has been in Dallas.  This is another fifty year old memory.  Was not there a good Mexican Restaurant near the intersection of Oak Lawn and Lemon named "Spanish Village?"   I think there was even a branch in Atlanta for a while, opened and operated by airline pilots who would fly in to Love Field and eat at the Dallas original if they were to spend the night.
 
Anyway, I believe that Oak Lawn - Lemon restaurant the first palce I saw a chicken or green chili enchilada or one with sour cream on the menu in Dallas before I moved to ATlanta which will be fifty years next month.  I naver had one, I don't think.  I was pretty much devoted to the beef filled or cheese enchiladas in those day.
 
But can one of you confirm the name of the restaurant?

Sorry OKC, there was a shopping center called Spanish Village but I don't remember a restaurant called that. I remember the area but can't remember the restaurant.

I can't swear but I am pretty sure I remember a chicken enchilada at El Chico when I worked there in the 60s.

There is a neat site called Homesick Texan that has a good blog and recipe, w/ responses from readers, about sour cream chicken enchiladas. The lady that has the site now lives in NY but is from Texas, and is quite a cook. Lots of Texas food recipes there.
Joe

PapaJoe8


CDkitchen has a copycat recipe. Not sure how close it comes as I have never had the real thing.
Joe

And here it is:

 
El Torito Chicken Enchiladas
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Serves/Makes: 8    |   Difficulty Level: 3    |   Ready In: 30-60 minutes

Ingredients:
3/4 pound Shredded Cooked Chicken
1 medium Onion -- Chopped
28 ounces El Torito Fire Roasted Green Chili Sauce
1 1/2 cup Sour Cream -- Optional
12 Whole Corn Tortillas -- 6 "
1 1/2 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese -- Optional
Vegetable Oil For Softening Tortillas

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In bowl combine chicken and onion.

3. In another bowl, combine enchilada sauce and sour cream, if desired.

4. Add about 3/4 cup of sauce to the chicken mixture.

5. To soften corn tortillas, place a small amount of oil in skillet. Heat oil until hot.

6. Carefully dip each corn tortilla in oil;5 seconds per side to soften. Drain on paper towel.

7. Spread a small amount of Enchilada sauce over bottom of baking dish.

8. Evenly divide chicken mixture down center of each tortilla.

9. Roll tortillas up and place seam-side down onto baking dish.

10. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas.

11. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until hot.

Recipe Location: http://www.cdkitchen.com/..._Enchiladas31441.shtml
Recipe ID: 12346
Don't forget to stop back at CDKitchen and write a review or upload a picture of this recipe!

This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
© 1995-2010 CDKitchen, Inc.
 

Thanks Foodb!

28 oz. green chili sauce to only 12 oz. (1 1/2 cups) sour cream just does not sound right to me. It would for sure have a green color.

The recipe at Homesick Texan sounds better. Not sure it's anywhere close to the El Torito sauce? Or, maybe the CD recipe is like El Torito and it did have a green color? Maybe someone in CA could ask them?

Just don't cook it in a pressure fryer Paula! :~)
Joe

PapaJoe8 said, in part: 

Sorry OKC, there was a shopping center called Spanish Village but I don't remember a restaurant called that. I remember the area but can't remember the restaurant.

I can't swear but I am pretty sure I remember a chicken enchilada at El Chico when I worked there in the 60s.

Now you got me!  I don't recall a "Spanish Village" shopping center.   But if I drove down Oak Lawn from North Dallas and turned on Lemon towards the airport the restauarant in question would have been on my left - the airport side if you will - and not too far after I turned.  I never ate there many times.  I was pretty focused on El Chico in those days, I suppose, and sometimes El Fenix.  The "Spanish Village" was not part of a chain, it had only the one location.
 
This might be a question for the "original" Dallas History board if it is running at present.
 
In Atlanta, the branch location was in the original Under Ground, IIRC.  We only ate there a time or two.
 
So far as the El Chico chicken enchiladas that you were concerned, were they served with a green sauce or red sauce?  To me the green chili sauce dishes were more a NM thing rather than Tex-Mex, BUT SOMEONE MIGHT CORRECT ME ON THAT ALSO, LIKE MY SPELLING!
 
And the

Mexican green sauce is used allot in Texas but not so much for Tex Mex dishes. It is green from the Tomatillos and not green chiles. Although I do not think El Chico, or El Fenix, chicken enchiladas had, or have, a green sauce. Not that a green sauce sounds bad to me.

I'm stumped on the Spanish Village restaurant deal. Yes, maybe someone at the Dallas history site might know? It's news to me if the original history site is back up.
Joe

Edit, no red sauce on a sour cream chicken enchilada. It's a white sauce. Some may have a greenish tint. I do not remember any w/ a red tint.
Joe

OKC, Kroger’s DOES carry Bueno chile (green & red) in DullAss. Badger your Kroger’s manager to bring it in! (The "Food Emporium" where I endeavor to give satisfaction also does, but we an’t in Ga.) And why hasn’t your son fulfilled his familial duties by getting you some? Shame on him! J
Ec is right ~~ "Enchiladas Suizas" was exactly the term used on many menus in days of yore. & I too am sorry for your affliction/aversion, ec. Although sour cream is not a staple in my fridge, it certainly has its place upon occasion. Such as Enchiladas Suizas and Beef Stroganoff…
OKC, "Spanish Village" was a restaurant located on Cedar Springs just about exactly where Oak Lawn ran into it. Their enchiladas were excellent. They were located in a wonderful old Spanish style building with a nice outdoor patio area (before patios became "required") with trees & ivy or some kinda vines etc. Kind of dilapidated, but in a GOOD way. Don’t know anything about an Atlanta off shoot, but having lived in Dallas all my life (uh…50-something years… yes I remember Bomb Drills in grade school…) well, I wouldn’t, would I? I also recall that Enchiladas Suizas could be ordered with chicken OR beef back in the day, and I like ‘em better with beef. Same goes for Flautas, for that matter…
PJ8: "Hi, I am not a professional actor. I am a real person just like yourself." J
I am not a pro. But I spent my summers as a child out in the country in East Texas where my grandfather had a huge garden ~ peas, corn, melons, beans, tomatoes, greens and more! My Mother was an incredible hostess & loved to cook. She was single-handedly responsible for Pace Picante sauce hitting the shelves in Dallas grocery stores in the mid-60’s. Truth. I think it was Minyard’s that finally cratered first to her insistent demands for it. (Back then, there were NO other picante sauces options. Hard to imagine now!) My family actually got a special tour of the Pace factory in San Antonio around 1964-5. I remember there was only ONE large vat of the stuff being conjured on that trip. (See, OKC, it IS possible to badger a grocery store into carrying something you want!) I love to cook & I love "REAL" food, with an emphasis on hot and spicy cuisine. (Although Campbell’s soup is allowed in on a technicality) I’ve worked in "high falutin’" retail food establishments for most of the past 20 years. That being said, obviously I can’t afford to go to restaurants much so I’ve learned to do it my way at home. Oh, AND: "Homesick Texan" is a great site! I’ve had that one on "My Faves" for about a year. But ROADFOOD is the BEST!
CiaoMeOwww! Carol

Carol, I knew you were a food pro of some kind. 20 yrs. makes you a long standing pro. And, you like cats!

And neat you remembered the restaurant OKC was looking for!

I thought the recipe at Homesick Texan was pretty much right on for some Tex Mex Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. I would top them w/ some nacho sliced pickled jalapenos though.
Joe

SHE,BlackQueen wrote, in part,
OKC, "Spanish Village" was a restaurant located on Cedar Springs just about exactly where Oak Lawn ran into it. Their enchiladas were excellent. They were located in a wonderful old Spanish style building with a nice outdoor patio area (before patios became "required") with trees & ivy or some kinda vines etc. Kind of dilapidated, but in a GOOD way.
 
Thank you for the help!  I had Lemon (Lemmon?) instead of Cedar Springs but at least I had part of it right.  I don't remember ever being on the patio at Spanish Village, or even that they had one.  That sounds like it would have been pleasant, many years ago, eating outside in Dallas, for a few weeks spring and fall anyway.
 
Nor do I remember ever seeing the term "Swiss" in any language on a Mexican food place in Dallas before moving here in 1961. 
 
Will you share where in East Texas you  grew up?  And did your grandfather keep seed for his garden from year to year, or buy it annually?
 
Miss Carol, thank you again.

SHE,BlackQueen


  I too am sorry for your affliction/aversion, ec.

Well, I'm not. I do just fine without sour cream, butter and mayo on my food. And don't even THINK of breaking out the ranch dressing in my house. That's grounds for murder.